


Alone

by dontletthenarglessneakuponyou



Category: Original Work
Genre: no sleep, nosleep, reddit, reddit nosleep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-10-20 01:27:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20667035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontletthenarglessneakuponyou/pseuds/dontletthenarglessneakuponyou
Summary: Just a quick blurb from my nonfiction creative writing class. The prompt was to write our own NoSleep Story like on the NoSleep Reddit page or the NoSleep podcast.





	Alone

There is a special feeling that overcomes a person at night in the country. There are few lights and even fewer cars. As you speed through the twisting back roads you can roll down the windows and turn up the volume of the radio, knowing there is no one who can hear, let alone judge, you belting out the lyrics to "Party in the USA" at 3:30 in the afternoon. It is easy to park on the side of the road, there is nothing else there for you to worry about. There's something about the woods in the early evening that is beautiful, the sun just breaks through the leaves casting shadows around you in a way that makes it a perfect photo opportunity. You know exactly where you are going because you've made this hike a hundred times before, follow the main path until you reach the Benson split, veer to the right and continue till the bridge over the river. Don't cross the river, instead follow it to the left up into the trees until you reach the camp clearing that manages to take you uphill no matter which way you leave or arrive. Hundreds of people have stayed here before you and hundreds will in the future. There is something almost magical about looking up into the sky at night where there is no light pollution to drown out the sun. It can make you feel so big and so small at the same moment. There are animals in the woods, there are animals that make noises in the woods. You don't need to fear them, they will not come close enough to bother you. It is still early, the stars aren't out, but you can imagine that they are. You stop to take pictures every once in a while. The leaves glow in the sunset. Armed with an array of bags and a knowledge of where to go you can begin. Two hours in and you have completely removed trash from the campsite to the river. A little further down and you can't find any more. There is nothing in the woods. There is trash and then there is not. The wood is a glorious place in the late evening until it is not. Suddenly every tree looks the same, every turn leads to the same rock. The river is no longer rushing to your right. This is frustrating, your flashlight still works, but it's really not that good at lighting the way. Suddenly there is something behind you, you know better than to run, you know better than to not run. There is nothing in the woods. The river is on your right, it is also on your left. There are trees everywhere and they are all around you. There is no right direction to go and there is something in the woods. You know better than to run yet you do it anyways. The back of your neck is hot, the tips of your ears are cold. The crunch of the leaves under your feet fills your head. If you don't look around, there is nothing there. There is never anything in the woods, just animals, bugs, trash and yourself. Crickets are comforting, until they are no longer there, the wind rushing around your shoulders in annoying until it is no longer there. There is something in the woods but it is in front of you, it is behind you, there is no sound. No river, no animals, no bugs, no wind. There is nothing in the woods. Just you, you're by yourself and all you can hear is your pounding heart and your rough breathing. There is nothing in the woods and you know where you are. You make your way to the camp, there is no one there, no one has been there for a while. You get your trash bags and you leave. You ignore the fact that you are now on the opposite side of the river. The trash bags will go in the dumpster and you will get in your car, it doesn't matter how you get there just that you are no longer in the woods. It doesn't matter how long you were in the woods because you are leaving now. There is something enchanting about the way the light of the sunset shines between the leaves. You get out of the woods, and there is nothing there. There was never anything in the woods but you.


End file.
